Panther
by Ccuriouser
Summary: [During the summer of HP's fifth year. ]What would happen when Professor Snape was cursed into a panther and Hermione accidentally formed a Familiar Bond with him? A story about trust, love, and support. HG/SS. HEA. Mostly cannon, but I twisted them wherever I like ;P. Rate M for later chapters. Hermione is of age. Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK. Rowling, I am just playing.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Heavy breathing, hissing, and something crashing. Hermione Granger jagged awake by the strange sounds coming from the entrance of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, only to find herself almost knocked over from the armchair she had fallen asleep on. The fire in the fireplace has died down long ago, the library was saturated with darkness. _Crack_ , another crashing sound with a low animally groan. Hermione took out her wand, shifting down the chair and slowly approaching the hallway, posture ready to defend herself.

Something was moving in the darkness nearby the staircase, something unhuman-like. Made sure she was in good position to hide and fight if necessary, Hermione lit up the candles in the corridor.

What she saw made her inhale sharply, hands moved up to cover her mouth.

A _panther_.

A wounded and unconscious panther, to be precise.

Hermione approached the creature cautiously, wand at the ready. _Why is here a panther? How did it get in? What happened to it?_ Millions of thoughts running through her mind. She stopped at arm-length away from the shaking and groaning creature. Close enough to observed it yet far enough to run. _Not that I could run faster than a panther._ She thought absently, lighting up her wand to get a better look.

The panther was severely injured, blood pooling underneath it from various wounds. Its breaths were shallow, body shaking violently. But what shocked Hermione was the pale white injure mark in its extended left forearm, which had a shape suspiciously like the dark mark.

Dark mark, injured, able to get into the headquarter. It didn't take her long to put the pieces together. Once she did, she gave out a yap and rushed to its side.

"Oh my God, professor, is that you?"


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Don't be such a hurry, Snape." A hand gripped on his right arm, painfully tight, liked the owner of the hand wanted to crush his bones.

 _She probably did,_ Snape curled his lips into a sneer. "What is that you want, Bellatrix?"

"Just want to have a friendly chat." The witch gave a crazy dry laugh, seemly amused by herself. Her grip tightened still, nails dug into his many layers of clothes.

Snape frowned, all the other Death Easters had left, he was stayed behind due to the Dark Lord's desire for "a little extra chat". Alone with Bellatrix was never a good thing, especially when her eyes were having that dangerous glimmers.

"Our lord will not be happy for my delay, Bellatrix. He needs me to get back to my position."

"Your petty position as a spy?" The insane witch came dangerously close to him, wand pointed sharply to his neck, "Come. Snape, we both know what you are playing at. Don't you think you can fool _me_."

"Are you saying that our Lord was fooled by me? The most skilled Legilimens in Europe fell for my little tricks?" He tried to get his arm back but the witch was surprisingly strong. Inwardly cursing his inability to curse her outright, he continued in a silky low voice. "Be careful, Bellatrix, people may think you have… _doubts_."

"How dare you!" Her wand cut into his skin, Snape could felt blood running down from the wound. "I am the Lord's most loyal servant! I will never doubt our Lord! You filthy half-blood traitor!"

"Then what was the problem, Bellatrix? What made you stop me from finishing the mission from our lord?" He grew rather impatient. This was not the first time this crazy witch gave him trouble after the meeting. Her jealousy was plain for everyone to see ever since he became the Dark Lord's new favorite. It always ended out with few curses and injuries in both sides, but never once was she so persistence. The fact that she hadn't started cursing him also unnerved him. Though the Dark Lord made it very clear that he would not want anything too severe happened to his spy, the mental state of Bellatrix made it hard to tell what would happen next.

The witch laughed again, this time crazier than ever, something dark and dangerous glimmering on the back of her eyes. She suddenly let go of his arm. "Go play your stupid little spy game, Snape. Have fun." She stepped back and began to walk back toward the Lestrange Manor.

Snape's eyes followed her with skepticism, only turned around when she disappeared behind the huge gate of the Manor.

He regretted it almost the moment he did so, for a curse hit him on the back with Bellatrix insane scream. " _Ostendere Bestia_!"

The last thing he heard before he lost conscious was her triumphal laughter and "Forget I can apparate in _my_ Manor, do you?"

 _xxxxxxxxxx_

"That bitch." 'Snape' growled, 'his' head spun like having the worse hangover. "Damn." 'His' voice was hoarse and…feminine? What the fuck?!

"Thank Merlin you've finally waken up, Miss Granger." A familiar female voice came from somewhere nearby, a warm hand rested on 'his' forehead. 'Snape' opened 'his' eyes and saw the concerned face of Minerva McGonagall. _Where the hell was he? What the hell was Minerva doing here? And why the hell did she called him Miss Granger?!_

* * *

 _I know the first two update was too short to be satisfied, I promise the next one will be longer._

 _What can I say? I just love to have mystery hang in the air. (Evil laughter)_

 _Calling out for Beta! Help! This story is posted without a Beta!_


	3. Chapter 2

_Big thank-you to giggles for helping me mini-Beta last chapter, I've updated the corrected version :)_

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"It is good to see that you are back with us, Miss Granger." Professor Dumbledore smiled down at her, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. Despite his calm and grandfather-like appearance, the fact that he kept a respective distance away from the panther that was guarding her bedside betrayed his true feelings. "How do you feel?"

"Thank you, Professor. I am fine. Just a little tired, that's all." Hermione nodded to the elder wizard. Professor McGonagall has informed the headmaster the moment she woke up, and left the room once the wizard arrived. Feeling uneasy to meet with Dumbledore's gaze now that she knew he was a Legilliments, Hermione chose to look around the room instead.

Oh, how she wanted to forget everything she knew, all those memories that were pushing into her mind during her two-day coma.

Memories of the life of Severus Snape.

Those memories were so intense that for a brief moment she thought she was her Potion Master, hence the confusion when she first woke up. Thankfully Professor McGonagall was too happy to find her awake to pay much attention to what she said, or that would need a _lot_ of explanations.

She managed to push the memories into a corner of her mind to sort through later when waiting for Dumbledore's arrive, a trick she learned from the memories. That was the only reason she has not gone insane right now.

Her gaze rested upon the panther standing beside her bed. He was there when she woke up, and instantly shifted into guarding mode upon Dumbledore's arrival. Facing away from her, his muscle tensed, back ached slightly, low threatening growls coming from his throat. Oddly enough, Hermione was almost certain that she could sense him in the back of her mind, weak waves of emotions deep in her conscious. Somehow, she knew this panther was a pure animal, the spirit of Professor Snape lying unconsciously inside him.

"Will Professor Snape be all right?" She asked, the need to pat the creature made her hand twitch. Something she could not name about him was calling to her. She gave Dumbledore a worried look. "Why does he like this? He was severely injured when I found him, has anyone checked on him?"

"I am afraid Professor Snape was cursed by very dark magic, Miss Granger. Madam Pomfrey has checked him over but he would not let her touch him. Actually, he only allowed Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey to get near you. He was…strangely protective, I should say." Dumbledore winked at her, but there was a shadow of something behind his eyes that unnerved Hermione. "If only we could know what happen to him."

" _Ostendere Bestia_ " Hermione murmured, biting on her lower lip.

"What was that, Miss Granger?"

" _Ostendere Bestia_. Bellatrix cursed him." She said more clearly, focus her gaze on Dumbledore's nose rather than his eyes.

"Miss Granger, please tell me how do you know about this." He moved one step forward, only to shift back when the panther gave a dangerous growl.

"I saw them in my dreams, sir. It felt…real." Hermione twists her hands together and looked down at them. She gave a brief summary of what she saw and then shook her head as if feeling silly. "Sorry, Professor, I don't really know what I was saying."

"In your dream?" Dum murmured pensively, right hand stroking his white bread. His gaze turned back to Hermione, blue eyes lost its twinkles. "My child, what exactly did you do to save Professor Snape?"

A sudden uneasiness washed over her, some small voices on the back of her head told her not to reveal the truth. Professor Snape the panther moved closer to her, seemly detected her nervousness.

"I don't really know, sir." She schooled up her best look of confuse, "I stopped the bleeding, fed him the potions. I was panic when Professor Snape still looked like dying. I remember thinking 'please don't die'. Then I felt my magic was draining and the next thing I know I am here." She blinked, eyebrows fused together, "Is there something wrong?"

"No, no. I don't believe so." The damn twinkling was back again, Dumbledore's gaze rested on the panther for a long moment then moved to her. Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"Sir? What is going on?"

"I have a theory, Miss Granger." The headmaster said distantly, still half-caught in his own thinking. "But I will need your help to prove it. If you can answer some questions?"

"Of course, sir." She looked at the panther again, something was poking on her head, something she read that could explain this situation. Yet the harder she thought about it, the more she forgot.

"Can you feel him?" Dumbledore waved his hand toward the panther, "A conscious not your own in your mind?"

She nodded, swallowed hard. "It feels like waves of emotions."

"Now put your hand on him, Miss Granger. Tell me, do you feel…connected?"

She did. The moment her hand touched his silky furs, a zip of magic flashed through her palm. She felt accepting and being accepted at the same time. The panther looked back at her briefly before turned to Dumbledore again, black eyes full of trust.

"You mentioned you saw Professor Snape's memories in your dreams. I need to know, Miss Granger, was there other memories that you saw?"

Hermione's head snapped up to look at Dumbledore before bowed down to stare at the hand stroking the panther.

 _TRAP!_ Her mind screaming at her. Her instinct told her this was the question that _mattered_. A question she needed to be very careful to answer.

She put up a show of searching her memories, eyebrows furrowed, lower lip caught between her teeth. "I am not sure, sir. I only remembered that one when I woke up…"

A sudden realization washed through her, like an invisible hand has put all the puzzles together.

 _Oh, no_. _It could not be._ She looked at the panther in shock. And then gasped when the creature moved closer to her to give her support. "Did I…" She looked at Dumbledore almost pleadingly.

 _Please told her it was not true. Professor Snape would kill her if he ever found out._

"I am afraid you did, my child." The headmaster looked at her calmly, "You have formed a familiar bond with this panther."

"But it needs potions and complicated charms to form a familiar bond!" She shot at him, refused to believe what he said.

She had researched about familiar bond when she got Crookshanks. But soon found out it was out of practice for a reason. Even without those obscure potions and charm works, the concept itself was rather barbaric. The master had absolute power over his familiar. The familiar had to follow every order given by the master. The familiar would die if the master did, yet when the familiar passed away, the master would not only stay alive but gain full access to its magic power. And these were just part of the obligations.

 _It was enslavement_. She remembered what she thought at that time. And now, _now,_ she accidently formed the bond with Professor Snape!

"I was only trying to save him." She said weakly, buried her face in her hands. _Enslavement_! Memory of young Severus Snape taking the Dark Mark flashed through her mind. Hermione suddenly felt really sick. _She was worse than Voldemort_.

"There must be a way to undo it." She looked up hopefully to the silent wizard, "Please, Professor Dumbledore, you must know some ways." A wet nose pushed to her neck startled her. She looked down and saw as well as felt the concern of the panther toward her. He was so worried that he gave up guarding to comfort her. His warm tongue softly grooming the back of her hand. Comforting his Mistress in a way only animal could. Her heart softened for him, frantic thoughts calmed down a bit.

"I am afraid there was no way to dissolve the bond once it was formed, Miss Granger. Not without the death of at least one of you." Dumbledore shook his head sadly, looking at her with sympathy. "There was still hope, though, that the bond would dissolve once we get Professor Snape back."

Right! One could not form a familiar bond with a wizard. Hermione felt hope stirring in her chest. "How long will it take, sir? To reverse the curse?"

"It is hard to tell, Miss Granger. I've never heard of the spell before, possibly a family spell or was created by Mrs. Lestrange. It may take a while to find a solution for it."

"Please let me help, sir." She said urgently, already in the middle of leaving the bed. The panther stayed closely by her side.

Dumbledore stopped her by raising one hand. "It is highly likely a really dark spell, Miss Granger. It not only transformed a wizard into an animal but locked up his conscious. It is not something you should research about. I thank you for your good intentions, though."

* * *

 _Please let me know your thoughts. Is this how you expect to turn out? I hope not. Cause I rather enjoy giving surprises. (mad giggles)_

 _Please don't hesitate to point out my ill-gramma and poor choice of words. English is never my strongest subject and this story is still lacking a Beta._


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Come, Sebastian." She gestured the panther to come closer after she adjusted the stream to a suitable temperature. The dark shadow lurking near the bathroom door came into the light. His steps were undetectable, muscle flexed with every move. Candlelight dancing up and down along the movement of his spine. His gaze focused on her, intense yet lack the threatening gleams of a predator. Various scars covered his body, broadcasting to the world that he was a warrior.

 _Striking, powerful, beautiful._ Words jumped into her head against her own will.

 _Just like Professor Snape._

Now, where did _that_ come from?

Hermione found her breath caught in her throat. Suddenly realized this was the first time she actually looked at the creature.

He was now standing in front of her, wet nose nuzzling her thigh, warm tongue tentatively licking her wrist. His eyes dark and warm, looked up at her with trust.

Hermione smiled down at him, stroking his ears and chin in greeting. The panther purred loudly, eyelids half-closed.

It was so easy to forget that Professor Snape was trapped inside him when Hermione could feel him as her familiar. His emotions were raw and animalistic. Joy when being patted or fed, worried when she was distress, vigilant when there was a threat.

Professor Dumbledore has decided to make his true identity a secret, not even Harry and Ron could be told. Thought Hermione felt bad to keep a secret from her friends, she understood the headmaster's concern. Harry still blamed Sirius's death on Professor Snape, and Ron was never a good secret-keeper.

 _Ron_ … Her hand stopped on top of the panther's head, but soon resumed its stroking when Sebastian bumped her hand impatiently.

 _Ron._ She didn't know how to face him. All in a sudden, Ron turned from a boy she fancied into an ordinary immature schoolboy after going through the memories of Professor Snape. Really, how could one still harbor romantic feelings toward a teenager boy when one finally learned how a mature man was like? Not that she suddenly took a fancy of Professor Snape, but all her feelings toward Ronald Wesley has gone.

Gone, vanished, disappeared. She knew she once liked him very much, those memories were still there, but the feelings were nowhere to be found.

Really, she didn't know what to do. After pining for him for almost two years, it felt strange to not have the flip-flop tingle when thought about his name.

And she was supposed to meet with him and Harry at the Burrow after taking the shower…

 _Oh my god, the shower!_

She turned toward the bathtub, lightly tagging Sebastian's ear to urge him into it. The panther cautiously stepped closer to the running stream, nose twisted, one black paw extended to play with the water, and then tentatively slipped out his tongue to lick the liquid.

It was such a feline thing to do, Hermione could not help but chuckled. "Shhsh, here, go into the tub so I can wash you clean."

Unlike Crookshanks who always put up a fight when forced to shower, the panther actually appeared rather enjoying the experience.

 _Thank you, Crookshanks._ She thought bemused while carefully messaged the smell-less pet-shampoo into Sebastian's furs. _For training me into a professional pet-cleaner._

The panther purred happily for the attentions from his Mistress, eyelids closed, tail flicked slowly under the water.

Hermione cleaned the panther gently and thoroughly, trying hard to avoid the scars. Her hand stopped when she saw the deep scar on the ankle of his left foreleg, a memory jumped out of the hidden corner into her conscious.

 **xxxxxxxx**

 _A dark shadow billowed through the dark hall of Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry, blocking the moonlight shining to the ground from time to time. It came to stop at the gargoyle on the third floor, dark hood flopped down to reveal the pale face of none other than the young Potion Master of the school._

 _"Sweety sweats." Severus Snape murmured the password with disdain, hurried up the stairs once the Gargoyle moved away._

 _"Headmaster." He rushed into the office, face pale and panting._

 _"Severus, any news from your master?" Dumbledore looked up at him from his desk, "I heard there was an attack toward muggles."_

 _"Yes, we…" The spy stopped beside the door, still breathing heavily but still managed to provide a brief review of the event. The Dark Lord was in the mood of scaring muggles so the Death Eaters attacked a small village near London tonight. "The next attack will be next Wednesday at Yorkshire."_

 _"Good." Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully and turned his attention back toward the task in hand. When he realized Severus was still there, he asked coolly, "Is there anything else you need to mention?"_

 _The young Potion Master shifting between his foots, face pale and unsettled. "I killed a muggle, Dumbledore. I tortured her to death." He said quietly, almost desperately to confess his crime._

 _The headmaster looked at him with surprised, something shifting behind his gaze. "Surely it was not the first time…"_

 _"You think I am a killer?" Snape gave out a bitter laugh, "A killer? That is what you think of me?" He laughed so hard that when he finally stopped, his voice was hoarse and he was out of breath._

 _Dumbledore looked at him with slightly wide eyes, even the portraits turned their attentions to the young wizard._

 _"Why do you think I am not in the inner circle of the Dark Lord?" Venom dripping from his sentence, his smiled mockingly, "'The Potion freak who was too coward to kill' has no chance to get close to the Dark Lord. I just wanted to work as a Potion Master for him, I never meant to join their brutal activities."_

 _He gave a long sigh, suddenly looked old and tired. "But now I can't be just a Potion freak, can I? I need to get into the inner circle to get information for your precious order." He looked at the startled headmaster and laughed again. "Forgive me, sir." He bowed with fake humble and then left the office in a blur of black robes._

 _Instead of going back to his chamber, Severus went to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey was not in the room when he got in. The young wizard went and lay down on one of the bed, right hand holding up his wand and pointed it toward his left wrist. "Tell me, Fate." He murmured, face blank, voice lifeless, "Should I die or should I live with the sins."_

 _He sliced open his flesh and waited, in the darkness and coldness of the ancient castle, for Fate to show her hands._

 **xxxxxxxx**

Hermione could not help but hugged the panther, ignored how the water ruined her robes. Sebastian opened his eyes and groomed the top of her head, dark eyes observed her quizzically.

The young witch let go of her familiar after calming down a bit, thought the loneliness and self-loathing brought by the memory were still fresh needles in her heart. She resumed her task of washing the panther.

"I dreamt about your memories, Professor Snape." The need to talk was overwhelming, Hermione could not help but babbled. It was so easy to talk to Sebastian the panther while she would never have the courage to talk to Professor Snape like this. "In those two days I saw memory after memory of yours, sir. I know about your childhood, your school-life. I know about Lily and the Marauder. I saw how you joined the Death Eaters and why you became the spy for the order."

She gently washed the foam off Sebastian, her quiet listener. "I never meant to invade your privacy, Professor Snape. I think it is caused by the bond we have."

"I know you will hate me to think that, sir. But I feel sad that you need to fight alone for so long. I hope…." She paused, contemplating her words, _accio_ the towel and started to dry the panther manually. "I hope you won't need to do it anymore."

She looked into the dark eyes of the dried and contented panther, wished to catch a gleam of Professor Snape in their depth. But all she got was a low purr and loving licking on the face.

She chuckled and led the panther out of the bathroom.

 _I would be there with you, Professor Snape, now I know, I would not let you suffer alone._ She promised silently to herself.

* * *

 _Let me know how do you think about this chapter. Your reviews are the motivations for me to keep updating :)_

 _Also please don't hesitate to help me mini-Beta this Chapter, big thx and love_


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _About the memories, I do not intend to continue them, once it ended it ended. They were meant to be just fragments of the past. In the memory from the last chapter, Severus just betrayed Voldemort and was young and has attempted his first murder. Therefore, he was in a rather traumatized state. What he did in the hospital wings was more like a self-punishment than a true attempt at suicide. Dumbledore was distant and cold because I think he really disliked Severus at the beginning, it was after years of working with him graduate changed his ideas._

* * *

"'Mione! Are you all right?" "We are so worried about you!" Ron and Harry rushed to Hermione once she stepped outside the floo. The three friends hugged each other tightly, all very happy to finally reunion. Hermione hasn't realized how much she has missed her two friends until now, all the stress brought by the unexpected event eased away. She knew, even though she could not tell them the truth, they would help her face any difficulty she would be facing.

"I am so sorry, Hermione. I should not shout at you that night. I was out of my mind." Ron said after they finally let go of each other, his face dropped a little, eyes looking down to the floor.

"It is alright, I already forget about it." Hermione smiled at him. This was true, she has completely forgotten the reason why she felt asleep at the headquarters' library alone. Now thought about it, it was really just some silly arguments triggered by Ron's short temper and her insecurity, which, as always, turned into heated fight and ended up with she flee to the headquarters to "gave them both time to calm down".

 _We would never be a good fit_. Hermione thought rather sadly. Although her feelings for Ron has changed, realizing the fact was still a little bit too much to bear.

"Are you sure?" He looked at her sheepishly, somehow reminded her of the times when he tried to make her do his homework.

"Really, Ron. Come here, give me a hug and we are all set." She said playfully, they laughed and hugged.

 _It was truly gone._ His arms no longer made her heartbeats speeded up, his cheerful laughter no longer gave knots in the stomach.

 _Goodbye, my first love._ Hermione tightened her hold around the young Wesley and then let go, officially ended her youthful infatuation.

"So, Hermione, what happened? Dumbledore would not let us visit." Harry seemed concerned but also a little upset.

Probably thinking the headmaster did not trust him enough. Hermione noticed her friend's conflicted emotions, suppressed a sigh. She needed to talk to Harry about Dumbledore. After viewing those memories, she found Harry's unconditional trust toward the elder wizard a concern. She never detected how the headmaster has subtlety manipulated Harry into a blindly loyal soldier.

 _Harry would probably even kill himself if that was asked by Dumbledore._ Hermione shuddered at the thought.

"Ya, he only said you needed to rest and nothing dangerous happened. What was going on, 'Mione?" Ron asked with furrow eyebrows, slightly pouting.

 _Later_ , Hermione told herself, _when she found out a way to lay the subject out to Harry_. Now there was more pressing issue needed to be dealt with.

Taking a deep and calming breath, Hermione ready herself. "It was a complicated story. Can you gather everyone in the house? There are…some issues I need to address."

 **xxxxxxxxxx**

Molly already started to prepare the dinner so all the members residue in the Burrow gathered by the kitchen table.

"Hullo, Hermione." George and Fred tried to hug her when coming into the kitchen, but Hermione ducked away when she saw the suspicious glimmers in their fingertips.

"Oh, Hermione…" Their hands move to their chests and whimper dramatically.

"Why did you reject us."

"All we wanted…"

"was just a hug…"

"to welcome our honored sister home." They sighed loudly and sat down by the table.

"How touching." Hermione gave a huff, eyeing them with narrow eyes. "What was that in your hands."

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" They lay out their hands but all the glimmers were gone.

"Did you think…"

"we will test our new product on you?"

"After you just being released from your house arrest?"

"George, can you feel my heart? I think it is broken by our cruel Hermione." Fred took George hand and placed it on his left chest, expression dramatically sad.

"I don't know, Fred. I think mine's broken too." George used the other hand to wipe off his imaginary tears, sighed loudly.

"Hi, Hermione, welcome back." Ginny came in at the moment and hugged Hermione in greeting. "Stop, you two. You are upsetting Hermione." She walked to sit down at her seat.

"You tow behave yourselves." Molly waved her wand warningly to the twins, and then turned and smiled warmly at Hermione. "Now tell us what happened, dear girl. We were all worried about you."

Everyone on the table turned to looked at her, all looked concerned and curious.

Slowly and carefully, Hermione gave them the altered version of the story. She told them that Dumbledore was trying to use a panther as an extra defense for the headquarters but failed to realize there were spells against magical creatures. The panther was hurt badly when arrived so Hermione tried to save it and accidently formed a familiar bond with it. She was in a two-day coma because of magic depletion.

There was a long moment of silence followed by the declaration.

"So, a panther?" Harry asked with raising an eyebrow, lacked anything else to say.

Hermione nodded, hands twisting on her knees. "Actually, I was thinking if I can bring him here with me since I will spend a lot of time here." She looked at Molly and Arthur uncertainly. She could feel the panther was very anxious for the separation, especially since her emotions has varied a lot during the short period of time. She could almost see the panther pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace, waiting for her call.

"Wow, cool." Ron managed to say, eyes blinking. "I've never seen a panther before."

"Of course my dear." Molly exchanged a glance with her husband, "Just make sure you will be with him all the time." Being pureblood, the elder Wesley woman understood the meaning of a familiar bond. As long as the master or mistress was around, the familiar would behave.

"You two," The elder witch pointed her wand toward the strangely quite twins, knew too well the look of interest and mischief on their faces, "behave yourselves and stay away from the panther. Familiar or not, a panther is a very dangerous animal. I don't plan to attend any funeral of yours in the near future."

Gave out the breath she did not know she was holding, Hermione finally relaxed and beamed at her friends. "Want to see me play a trick?" She asked, cheerful.

 **xxxxxxxxxx**

Sitting at the dinner table, tiredness slowly creeping on Hermione. Summoned Sebastian has cost more magic than she thought, and to get him to know so many people at once was an overwhelming experience. She never knew how anti-social a panther could be. At the end, everyone has agreed to just simply stayed out of the panther's way. He was slightly friendlier toward Molly and Author, but that was about it.

 _Maybe there was still some pieces of Professor Snape in there_. Her mind wondered when consuming the soup in an almost robot-like manner.

The memories, the bond, the new situation she was facing. So many things to sort through and research. Her stomach tied into a knot, brain furiously going through all the things she planned to do. First did a thorough research about the bond, then sort out the memories. There wasn't much time left for the summer, only one and a half month. _Oh my god, what if Professor Dumbledore could not find a cure before the school started?_

Seemed to sense her distress, Sabastian stopped eating the piece of meat offered to him from Molly and strode to her side, head passed through the space between her arm and her thigh to nuzzle her stomach.

Hermione could feel his concern and willed herself to calm down. _Stop worrying too much, Hermione Jean Granger, you know how that works for you_. She told herself, stroking the panther from head to the upper part of his back. Sebastian relaxed greatly. His long tail flicked lazily behind him, purring softly.

Ginny beside her eyed the interaction curiously. "He really likes you." She reached out one hand toward Sebastian, trying to pat him as well. Before Hermione could stop her, the panther jumped out of the way and growled lowly, all defenses worked up. His anger practically screaming on the back of Hermione's mind.

"Oi, Ginny, be careful with that. Do you forget how he almost attacked me and Harry the first time we met him?" Ron yelled half-hearted across the table, "Rather scary, this panther."

"Sebastian did no such thing, Ron. He was just insecure." Hermione glared at the youngest Wesley boy warningly. Ron could sometimes choose the worse time to make a joke.

"Shhh, Sebastian, it is all right." Hermione turned her attention back to the panther, tried to sound as reassure as she could. She slowly walked toward him and kneeled beside the rather alarming panther. "It is all right." She wrapped her arms around his neck and patted his head softly. Sebastian calmed down in her embrace, licking her chin apologetic.

"Sorry, Ginny, I am afraid he only allows me to touch him. He was rather untrusting." Hermione gave Ginny a sorry look and went back to sit down by the table. Oddly, her appetite came back after all the dramas, so she picked up her spoon again.

"Don't worry, I understand. You said you find him bleeding to death, right? How awful." The red hair witch smiled to her and turned back to finish her dinner.

The rest of the dinner went through rather uneventfully, and Hermione got the distinct impression that no one would ever try to get close to Sebastian in the near future. She found it rather sad, though, that people gave up so easily to know such a magnificent creature. Much like what happened to Professor Snape himself, people just stopped trying to get close to him after first few attempts. It was not that Hermione could not understand why. Professor Snape could be quite a bastard when he wanted to. Still, she felt bad for him.

 **xxxxxxxxx**

"Good night, Mione. Will see ya tomorrow right?" Ron and Harry found her at the library before they flooed back to the Burrow. The trio came to the headquarters after dinner because Harry needed to pick up something. Hermione decided to stay at the headquarters rather than the Burrow because of Sebastian. It was also a better place for her to do research and think things through. The boys tried to stay but she convinced them by saying the panther would react badly for strangers staying in the house.

Despite trying hard to act normal, both boys kept an unnecessarily long distance between themselves and the panther lying in front of the fireplace. Sebastian glanced them lazily, didn't even raise his head from his paws. Hermione could sense his scorn, she swore him was saying "Dunderheads" by the waves of his tail.

She chuckled, finding the situation more amusing than it should be. Even as a panther, Professor Snape still managed to intimidate her two friends without effort.

"Good night, Ron. Good night, Harry." She stood up and gave them both a hug. She could feel Sebastian was observing them closely, even though he seemed rather relax on the rug. It was moment liked this that reminded her that Professor Snape was trapped within the body of this panther. His conscious as a wizard may be suppressed, yet his habits were trained into his every muscle.

Before Harry and Ron left the room, a sudden thought stroke her. "Wait a second." She reached out to grip their arms. "Can I have your wands? There is something I want to check."

Though confused about her sudden request, Harry and Ron handed her their wands without question. Sebastian stood up the moment their hands moved toward their wands, only relaxed after no threats were presented. Ron murmured something about animal instincts and overprotective under his breaths, but Hermione chose to ignore him.

She held each wand on her hand for couple minutes, eyes closing seemly to catalog the feelings.

"What was that for?" Harry asked after she gave them back their wands, sounded more concerned than curious.

"Oh, nothing, Just something I read on an article about wand making. Do you know that…"

Thankfully Ron gave a big yawn before she could go into details about this imaginary article, saved her from making up more lies. "Sorry Mione, that sounds rather exciting. But it is rather late now, maybe next time. Ya?"

Hermione picked up the book she was reading after Ron and Harry left through the floo. A look of pensive in her face. She sat down next to Sebastian, feeling his warm body press to her side and found it comforting.

Using Sebastian as a huge fluffy backrest, Hermione pulled out the ebony wand Dumbledore gave to her from her beaded bag. One hand hold its end, the other stroke through it, Hermione could feel the magic vibrating with her own.

It was different when holding Ron's or Harry's wand. It felt wrong when theirs was in her hand. She could sense the rejection, just like all those wrong wands she tried when in Ollivander's. She had no doubt that it would be a disaster if she were to try to cast a spell using their wands.

 _But this_ , she closed her eyes, _this did not felt wrong_. It did not feel right either, not like her own wand, which just like a part of her now. Professor Snape's wand gave her the feeling that it was _willing_ to serve her even though it did not view her as its owner. She could also sense it was more powerful than her own wand.

" _Expecto Patronum._ " The brightest patronus she ever made busted out from the wand, and instead of her otter, a pantheress elegantly jumped around the room, stopped briefly in front of the panther before dissolved into thin air.

 _Was this a side-product of the bond?_ Hermione frown furiously. _If only she could_ … A surge of longing coming from Sebastian cut off her train of thoughts. The panther stared blankly into the empty space where the pantheress disappeared, shoulder dropped, ears flipped down near to his scalp. Sad, low growls coming out from his throat.

Hermione could clearly felt his longing and sadness. Longing for a mate, for company and acceptance. Sadness because somehow he knew it was impossible.

Memories and emotions about a certain beautiful redhead green-eyed witch rushed through her mind. Hermione almost cried out for the heavy loneliness, guilt and self-loathing coming with the memories.

Without a better way to express herself, she just wrapped her arms around Sebastian's neck and hugged him tightly. "I am here with you." She buried her face in his warm furs, feeling his strong pauses beating under her cheek. "I am here with you." She murmured, not sure if it was to the panther or to the Potion Master sleeping within the panther's body.

 **xxxxxxxxx**

When they finally retreated to her bedroom for the night, Hermione was surprised to find a ginger ball on the top of her bed. With all the events happened after she woke up, her other familiar was completely forgotten by her.

"Crookshanks!" She cried out happily and scooped the ginger half-Kneazle up. "Oh, it is so good to see you."

Crookshanks nuzzled her face and purred, his orange eyes moved around her face in an intense scrutiny. Seemly satisfied with what he saw, Crocks gave a long meow and jumped out of her arms, padding fearlessly toward the panther who already laid down on the rug by the bed.

Sebastian eyed the ginger furball with a superior posture, the tip of his tail tapping the floor lazily.

Showing no fear of the powerful predator, Crookshanks carefully sniffed the panther over, performing a throughout survey. Hermione had the feeling that Sebastian tolerated him entirely for her benefit, so she sat down and patted his head gratefully. The panther closed his eyes and purred happily.

Looking pleased with his examination, Crocks purred his approval and then curled up on the back of the panther.

"Good to have your approval." Hermione chuckled, feeling relieved that Sebastian did not resent the half-Kneazle.

Climbed up to the bed almost blissfully, Hermione soon passed into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

 _Now the main theme was set, the next update may take a while. But I may be pursued to write faster if there are reviews dangling on my nose. (wink wink)_

 _As always, mini-Beta is welcomed with all my heart._


	6. Chapter 5

_I know, I know, it took me too long to update. Life was getting on the way, what with graduation, procrastination, and everything. But, now I am back, yeah!_

 _Thanks to one of the guest's review (the one wanted more dialogue between Hermione and Snape), I added a tiny piece of "Where the hell is Severus?"._

 _A big thank you to Hanable-13 for your mini-Beta, all the mistakes have been attended to._

...

 _She was climbing in a dark tunnel, heart beaten with excitement, hands all sweaty. She was going to get them this time, those little bastards. And they would be expelled. Not even the old fool could help them._

 _Finally, she reached the door, her hand on the handle. A shiver ran down her spine, the air was cold and thick, something was moving behind the closed door. A strange unsettling feeling gripped her, her instinct was screaming for her to run away, to leave. Yet the price was too sweet she could not simply let it go like this._ Just one look, enough to know what they were up to. _Holding her breath, she opened the door…_

Hermione woke up with female screams ringing in her ears, it took her a while to realize it was her own voice. Her eyes were wide opened, heart beating wildly. A low growl came from the side of her bed, and a dark shadow crawling toward her. Hot breaths brushing her skin, and she has been rendered into a shaking mess by fear. Throat tight, she tried to reach for her wand but was unable to move, images of the werewolf with sharp teeth and long craws flushed before her eyes.

 _She has to move! Where was her wand?! Where was…_

The shadow stopped halfway across her bed, and she finally sensed the warm waves of concern pushing through her cloud of fear in her mind. "Gods, Sebastian. You scared me!" She huffed out a nervous laugh and nuzzled back down into the duvet, heart still beating rather loudly, hands trembling slightly.

The panther snorted and started moving toward her again, Hermione swore that he was mocking her cowardice.

"Did I mention that you were the reason for my nightmare?" She complained half-heartedly when the heavy warm weight settled beside her. With soft purring, Sebastian pushed his wet nose to her cheek in an apologizing manner. She sighed and buried her face in his smooth furs, feeling tired after all the drama. A lighter weight landed on the other side of her neck, she mumbled a low thank you to the feline, unwilling to move. Fortunately, Crookshanks did not seem to mind, just curled into a fur ball and went back to sleep.

Hermione listened to the soft snorting of the orange feline, wanted yet unable to sleep. Dreams, memories, so many thoughts were running inside her mind, she tightened her hold of Sebastian's paw. "I dreamed about your memories again, Professor Snape." Hermione snuggled closer to the warm furry body, anger bubbling up once the fear was lessened. "How could he do this to you? How could Dumbledore ask you to pretend nothing happened? How could Sirius be so heartless?" Tears welling up in her eyes, she blinked hard and buried her face in his silky furs. She didn't understand his hatred toward Remus in her third year, no one did. Now she knew why. She wished she didn't know, she wished she could still trust Dumbledore and Sirius, she wished she could still be the girl that believed in good and bad.

 _It wasn't fair, for her and for him._

Sebastian shifted beside her, nose gently nuzzled her cheek, his care a warm wave washing over her.

"We never thanked you, you know." She murmured into his neck, lips brushed against wet furs. The strong body under her nose smelt of sandalwood, herbs, and male. Hermione took in a deep breath, feeling calmness filling her chest. How strange, to feel safe beside a predator, to trust him so whole-heartily. But deep down she knew he would never hurt her, even without the restriction of the familiar bond. His scent combined with his warmth slowly luring her to dreamland. "After you saved us from Remus. We should, but everything happened so fast and you were so difficult." She took another deep breath, hand stroking his neck gently and looked into the dark pupils of the panther. If only Professor Snape could hear her. "Thank you for everything. You are so brave, Professor Snape. If only we knew."

Unable to respond to her even if he wanted to, the panther proceeded to tenderly groomed the top of her hair.

Hermione gave a muffled sound of protest. _Her hair would be a mess in the morning!_ But soon fell back to sleep.

…

Darkness, endless darkness. He felt like floating in the middle of the air, or water, or whatever space he was in. His thoughts were in blissful almost-emptiness. But there was still something, something he should think about, something he should do. There it was, the tiny wind nudging on his side— _need to get out, need to go back…_ Where? How? And most importantly, why? He felt happy here, in this never-ending sea of blackness.

 _Peaceful._

And the warmth was with him.

The warmth was a flow around him, with the faint smell of rose, parchments, ink, and fresh-cut grasses. Sometimes it enfolded him, made him warm from head to toe. But most of the time it was just there, flowing around him, touching him here and there…

The tiny wind was back, calling for him to leave, to go back.

 _No_. He firmly pushed it aside. _I wanted to be here, with the warmth._

His mind shifted back into the heavenly blankness, the warmth enfolded him again…


	7. Chapter 6

**_Thank you for all the reviews! I am so happy that I finally dragged my lazy arss back to writing!_**

"….This curing spell needs to be performed with extreme care. To save a near-death magical creature, the wizard will be asked to pay a certain price by the Death. In cases known by the author, the casting of the spell could result in body, soul or magic damage as well as a familiar bond between the magical creature and the wizard." Hermione gasped and looked down at herself, neither Professor McGonagall nor Professor Dumbledore has mentioned anything about damage in her person, and so far she didn't feel anything amiss. _What price did she pay?_ Cold sweats broke from her forehead. _She should know better than to use an unknown spell from books._ When Hagrid gave her _Magical Creatures and How to Cure Them_ as a gift, she thought it simply as a leisure reading material. After all, what harm could it bring to know more about helping magical creatures?

 _Obviously, she was wrong._

Hermione worrying her lower lip, brain working fiercely. _Would she ever know what price did she pay? The book said the Death would require payment, but she didn't remember seeing him. Did the Death really exist?_ Sharp teeth touching her wrist, successfully breaking her from the crazy train of thoughts. Hermione huffed and patted the panther's head.

"Sorry, got carried away a bit. No need to worry." She smiled and turned her attention back to the book. _No use to overthinking everything, the price was paid, nothing she could do would change it._

"Now, where were we, right. …result in body, soul, or magic damage." Not knowing if the Professor could remember what happened when he was the panther, she chose to read out loud just in case. So that he wouldn't be too clueless when he came back into his own body.

Her finger moved across the soft paper, following the words dancing on the page. "In the rarest case (one out of five thousand), the wizard has formed an _Implexa Animarum_ bond with the animal (a unicorn), and no price has been paid." That was the end of the chapter.

"No way. What is _Implexa Animarum_?" Hermione murmured in frustration, quickly flipping through the whole book in the hope to find more information. Yet the result was fruitless. Apparently, the author has assumed every reader of the book to know what _Implexa Animarum_ was. She closed the book in a loud thrum.

"These wizards should really learn how to write scientific papers! He didn't even have references! Where am I supposed to find out what _Implexa Animarum_ is?" She stood up and started pacing around the room. Sebastian lifted up his head, sharp gaze following her, long tail tapping the floor lazily.

"Tangled souls. So it is soul-related bond? Maybe a special kind of familiar bonds?" Her teeth sank into her forefinger, something she did when she was thinking. "I need more books. Library, I need to go to the British Library." She muttered, rushing toward her bedroom, but a force was dragging the end of her trouser. Panic and worried from Sebastian was jumping at the back of her brain, along with images of a haggard middle-aged woman walking out a dark, shattering house, never came back.

She sighed and kneeled down beside the panther, arms wrapped around his neck in a comforting manner. "Shhhh, it's alright, I am just going to the library, Sebastian. I will be back, I promise." She put as much sincerity into her words. Still, the panther would not let go.

"Alright, let's talk about this." Hermione sat down on the floor so that their eyes were level, her hand firmly placing on his neck. The panther lied down in front of her, one paw set heavily upon her crossed legs. Her heart softened at this insecure gesture. No longer the strong and confident predator, Sebastian was now a little child worrying to be left behind.

Gently caressing his furs, she wondered briefly how the curse worked. Sometimes he was just a panther, everything was done following his animalistic instinct, yet sometimes he was affected by the Professor's memories. And he definitely had intelligence that belonged to the severe wizard.

"Look, it's nine o'clock in the morning. I will be back by noon, I promise." She cupped both sides of the panther's head, looking deep into his eyes. She could feel his reluctant, the battle inside him. His nostrils were flaring, tail flicking quickly.

Finally, a decision was made, the panther removed his paw and stood up. He huffed, seemly saying 'be quick', and nudged her shoulder with his head.

"Thanks, Sebastian." Placed a soft kiss on his nasal bridge, she summoned her bag along with the book and then rushed outside.

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

"Ginny, can I ask you something?" To be honest, Ginny Wesley didn't expect to see Hermione and her panther this soon. After all, she was the one who said she needed time to get to know her familiar. But it was always good to see her friend, even though it felt a little bit strange knowing there was a panther guarding outside her bedroom.

"Of course. Anything. Though one may wonder how difficult the question will be that even you couldn't find answers for." She teased and the other young witch huffed out an annoying breath.

"I would stay at the library if I could, but Sebastian won't let me." The curly-haired witch complained, yet her lips were curled up. The look she gave toward the door somehow reminded Ginny of a mother looking at her loving child. But then a strange expression flashed across her face and the look was gone. _Merlin, what was she thinking?_ The younger witch shook her head against the bizarre idea.

"It must be hard for him to be left alone in the house after what happened." She patted her bed and the other witch sat down beside her. "Now, what's the question?"

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

In the quiet living room of the headquarter, a young woman sitting on the carpet, two books laid open in front of her. Lifting through the pages with practical efficiency, she mumbled to herself once and a while, a frown deep on her forehead.

"Merlin, what should I do?" After the fourth times reading through both books, Hermione forced out a long breath. Relaxed back down to her furry "pillow", she lifted one arm to cover her eyes. Ginny's words still vivid in her mind.

 _The tale I heard was that—a long long time ago, every soul born in the earth was perfect, all have the best qualities. They were living a peaceful life, everyone was happy and content. But the God of Chaos was boring in this perfect world. One day, when all the other Gods were sleeping, he secretly split every soul into two and gave them chaotic characteristics."_

 _Soul mate was not a common occurrence even in the wizarding world. Mum told me that great great great Grandma and great great great Grandpa were soul mates, but they are the only case in our family."_

 _Your soul mate can be anyone, someone in the same-sex, someone much younger or older than you. And it doesn't necessarily need to be human. Basically, anything with a soul has the chance to be your soul mate as well—an animal, an insect, an elf, even a ghost. That was why soul mate was so rare. You don't even know what form your soul mate would take."_

Soul mates, she and Professor Snape were soul mates. _The_ Professor Snape. It was hard to put one's mind in such bizarre idea, but it was undoubtfully true.

She picked up _The Study of Magical Bonds_ , the page marked by a magical bookmark clearly stated that _Implexa Animarum_ was both a familiar bond _and_ a soul mate bond. That was why she would share Professor Snape's memories, and why she did not need to pay any price for using the curing spell. Because by forming the bond, she has bound her life with his, when one died, the other would follow. The pulse near her temple was jumping, she felt like having headaches.

She has gone to Ginny in the hope to prove that she has been wrong, that soul mate was not what she thought it was in the wizarding world. But what she heard from the younger witch only proved otherwise. Ginny had given her _The Tale of Princess Adelaide_ , the first record of a soul-mate bond and the most wild-spread fairy tale in the wizarding world, for further research. An interesting book as it was, there wasn't much useful information.

 _Soul mates, one soul in two bodies._ She mused, pondering the information she has gathered. _Same yet different, no one understands them better than each other. Together they complete each other, one's strength covers the other's weakness._

She could see it now. While Professor Snape was highly skilled in Defense, Potions, Herbology, and even Care about Magical Creatures, she was strong in Transfiguration, Charms, and Arithmancy. She lacked Professor Snape's creative strikes in potion making and spells creating, but he was surprisingly weak at memorizing information. They were both bibliophiles, though their interest in reading was mostly in different areas, there was still a large overlap in their reading materials.

There was no use denying it now, as unlikely as it was, they were soul mates. She sighed and rubbed her eyes.

 _So that's why she was so eager to prove herself in front of him, why she stood up for him even though he treated her like dust under his shoes. Before she knew what a man he truly was._

Under her head, Sebastian's stomach rose up and down with his breathing. She shifted so that her hand could rest against his body, face facing his head. His ears twisted due to her movement and she lazily stroking the top of his head. The panther purred happily, warm contentment radiating toward her. She smiled, decided to push all the thoughts about soul mates aside. _Enough thinking on that topic. As long as she was the only one who knew about it, there would be much time for her to think it through._

It was rather strange, how she separated Sebastian the panther and the Professor in her mind. She contemplated, attempted to distract herself. Maybe because Sebastian was open like a book, she pondered. It would be out of her ability to imagine Professor Snape to be open to anyone like this, though at this point she probably knew him better than anyone else did…

"All right. Sebastian." She stretched and stood up, clearing her mind for all the thoughts that would lead to Professor Snape or soul mates or Professor Snape and soul mates. "I am quite hungry now, ready for dinner?"

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 _Let me know how do you think about this chapter. Too much information? Too boring? Please don't hesitate to let me know. I am still on my way to be a better writer so all your opinions are welcomed. am working on the next chapter and there will be more interaction between the panther and Hermione. Hopefully, our beloved professor would be back soon. But alas, who knows what ideas would come to mind. So we will see what happen next :P_


	8. Chapter 7

_**Thank you for all the reviews! You are all so sweet and kind! How lucky I am to have readers like you.**_

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"Can you sense where he is?" Ginny Wesley asked curiously, looking around for the sight of Hermione's familiar. They were sitting outside the Burrow, watching the boys playing Quidditch. The weather was nice and warm. Ginny would join them if she didn't sprain her ankle the other day. Since she couldn't, she decided to shower Hermione with questions about the panther.

"I can if I want to," Hermione answered when writing something down on the notes she was studying. "but now I can only feel that he was not far away." It has been almost two weeks after the bond was formed, and Sebastian had relaxed enough to not constantly guarded around her. He even allowed Ginny to pat him, but still wouldn't get close to the boys. She hadn't moved back to the Burrow since there wasn't much space for Sebastian, but most of the day she would spend with her friends, while Sebastian wandered alone in the yard or played with Crookshanks. She even managed to go to the Diagon Alley trip without Sebastian being too upset, though he did become a bit more clingy after she came back.

"Can you tell what he was doing?"

"Not really. I can sense his mood, but it is not like I have set up a surveillant cameras around him." Hermione chuckled at the image, envisioning a group of flying surveillant cameras around the panther. _Oh, he would be so annoyed._

"Surveillant cameras?" Ginny asked with a frown, unable to think of the use of cameras as surveillant equipment. It would be so unpractical!

"Just a Muggle thing. Anyway, I don't know what exactly he is doing right now rather than he is very exciting." Hermione changed the topic when she saw that Mr. Wesley was approaching them. Usually, she wouldn't mind lecturing Muggle techniques to him, but today she has other plans to attend to.

"I see. I've never met someone with a real familiar, you know. It must feel great. Especially since yours is a panther." The red-haired girl chirped almost dreamily. "He is so powerful."

"Professor Dumbledore also has a familiar bond with his phoenix." Arthur, who joined them with a picnic basket in his hand, said conversationally. "And I believe it is not an easy feat to deal with a panther. Here." He handed Hermione the basket with a smile. "Molly has packed everything you need."

"It isn't too bad. Sebastian is smart and nice." Hermione said with a warm smile. She took over the basket and stood up from her chair, her notes neatly packed together. "Thank you so much, Arthur. Please, thanks Molly for me."

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked, confusion written on her face. Before Hermione could answer, two shadows descended upon them. Getting hungry by the energies spent on the games, Harry and Ron were like two hunted dogs tracing after any indication of foods.

"Hey, dad! Is that for us?" Ron jumped down the broom in light-speed, hands already extended toward the basket.

"No, Ron. This one is for Sebastian and me." Hermione swatted his hands away playfully with a chuckle when the afore-mentioned panther jumped out from nowhere and landed in front of her. An orange furry cat with a flat nose following shortly after. Huffed proudly and dropped a big bloody vole in front of Hermione, Sebastian then turned toward Ron and Harry with a dangerous growl. His lips pulled back from his teeth.

"All right, all right, mate. Calm down." Ron lifted both hands to the air in a pose of surrender. He and Harry both moved back a few inches. "See, I didn't touch anything."

Crookshanks chose this moment to paddle across the "battlefield" and wound himself between Harry's legs, purring all the way. Nasal flaring, the panther briefly glared at the feline and then matched back to Hermione's side. Once there, he bumped his head to her thigh in an urging manner.

"I know, I know, we will go soon. Be patient." Patting his head and rubbing his ears, she smiled down at the panther. "I think I have some explaining to do."

"What's going on? Where are you going, Hermione?" Harry asked with a frown. What happened in the Diagon Alley still troubled him, and he was instantly worried about her safety.

"Why not you all come in and have some delicious afternoon tea that Molly has prepared?" Arthur said merrily, gestured toward the kitchen door where sweet scents of foods were pouring out. "Hermione can fill you in there."

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

 _"Severus!" The beautiful red-haired girl was waving her hand and smiling brightly at him. He felt his lips curved up into a responding smile, something he wasn't used to doing._ He wouldn't look too strange, would he? _He frowned and pinched his lips back to a thin line._ But it was Lily. She would never say anything harsh toward him.

 _"Severus! Where have you been?" Lily jumped down from the swing like a young deer and rushed toward him. His heart lit up by her eagerness to see him. "It has been weeks since I last saw you. I was so bored!" She complained and then gave him a big hug. "Now, where is that place you promised to show me last time? And what magic have you learned to teach me?"_

 _He blushed and pulled away from her hug, his heart beating fast in his chest. "Sorry, I was helping my parents with something." He would never tell her that his father has beaten him up again for meeting with her, yelling he was a foolish pig dreaming for a fair girl. And it took his mother a week to make the Healing Potion. "Come, it will take a bit walk before we get there."_

 _"All right, let's go."_

Everything shifted. For a brief moment Hermione realized she was dreaming, but then she was dragged back into the memories.

 _He was lying in the grasses with Lily. The sky was blue with white marshmallow-like clouds floating around. Soft winds were gently caressing his skin and bringing the wet scents of the lake with it. There were numbers of flying leaves coming off Lily's hands, flying higher and higher until they disappear. Her wonderful big smile and joyful waves of laughter worth every scar he had obtained when his father caught him practicing the charm._

 _"Where do you think they are going?" She lied down by his side. Hand stretched out almost touching his. "Will they go all the way to heaven?"_

 _"I don't know." He turned to look at her, moving his hand slightly so their fingertips touched. He Turned his gaze back up to the sky, a smile broke over his face. "And I don't really care."_

Hermione woke up with a quiet sigh, feeling both happy and sad. Despite her dislike of Lily Potter, the red-haired witch was still the only friend Severus had. The happiness and contentment she felt from the memories liked daggers stabbing her heart. She refused to think about why.

The warm body against her shifted, and a wet nose was pushed to her neck. Sighing deeply, she stretched and turned toward the panther.

"Hullo. How's everything going? Do you like the place?" She asked lazily, buried her face in his warm furs with a big yawn.

Memories about Lily were a topic she had never mentioned before Sebastian, nor did she ever tell him how much she disliked the beautiful witch. She reminded her too much of her old classmate Isla, a pretty, sweet and moderately intelligent girl who was adored by everyone but deep down was just a selfish manipulator. Hermione could never forget how Isla had turned her school life into hell simply because she preferred going to the library than the afternoon tea party the "Social Queen" so proudly set up.

Sebastian huffed and stood up, letting her body slid down to the blanket she has spread on the grasses. Hermione shifted to lay on her back and stretched again, feeling her muscles slowing waking up. The sky above her was getting darker; the sun no longer could be seen. Suddenly the slim face of the panther appeared before her, and he nuzzled his head against her cheek with impatient growls.

"Okay okay I am getting up." She laughed and sat up. Fresh winds were blowing her hairs around her face, along with the wet smell of forest and lake. She looked around, still could not believe she was here, by the lakeside, surrounded by the Forest of Dean. A place she had always wanted to come back ever since her parents brought her here for camping. She has been testing about the Familiar Bond during those weeks, learning about what she and Sebastian were capable of doing with the bond. Accidentally, she found out that she could use the panther to teleport her. The most surprising thing was that it could go through the security wards the Ministry has set up around the Burrow. Her guess was that familiar magic worked differently with ordinary magic.

They had tried going between the Burrow and the headquarters as well as the Burrow to her home when her parents were out. To be honest, she wasn't quite sure how long the panther could transport. None of the books she read have any specific data.

It was a pleasant surprise to know that they could travel this far, but the transportation needed magic and energies. The longer they moved, the more tired she felt afterward. That was why she had asked Molly to prepare foods and Magic Restoration Potions for her. She also gave her the exact location for where she would land, just in case she did not have enough magic to get back.

She stood up and moved her body, testing her strength. "Well, I'd said it wasn't as bad as I thought. We should be able to go back without me fainting." She teased and turned toward the panther, feeling his disapproval in her mind. "Really, I am fine…Oh my God, what are these?"

In front of her were died bodies of two rabbits and a deer. Obviously, _someone_ was very busy when she was taking a nap.

The panther huff proudly and straightened his spine.

 _She always forgot he was still a dangerous predator, despite how meek he seemed._ Wiped a hand down her face, she chuckled, feeling unreasonably proud and absurd. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the Professor would react if he knew what he has done as a panther. Calming down, she patted the panther and shrunk his trophies to put them in the basket.

"Aren't you a great hunter, Sebastian?" She kissed his forehead then rest her hand on his neck; everything tacked nicely in the basket she was holding. "Now, let's go home."

Hermione closed her eyes and imagining the yard outside the Burrow in her mind, she felt the familiar feeling of Sebastian's magic connecting with hers, and then she was pushed by a strong force, traveling through spaces with a sense of being dragged inside the deep ocean.

When she opened her eyes after the pressure has eased, she was expected to see the welcoming face of Molly Wesley. Never would she know that she would be greeted by a cheerful white-breaded wizard wearing a deep purple robe.

"I bet you've had a pleasant trip, Miss Granger." Albus Dumbledore said good-humoredly, eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. "I've got good news for you."

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

 _ **Guess what good news would that be? Hint: Our favorite character is finally going to be back!**_

 _ **Please review and tell me what do you think about the chapter :)**_


	9. Chapter 8

It has been seven hours since Sebastian drank the potion the headmaster brought and shifted, rather painfully, back to Professor Snape. Seven hours since Madam Pomfrey has transferred the unconscious Potion Master to the private room for staffs at the Hospital Wing. No signs of awakening were shown on the pale face of the dark-haired wizard currently lying in a seemingly peaceful slumber. Yet the waves of emotions never stopped, she could feel each of them brushing against her conscious. And she was worried sick, not knowing if the professor will ever wake up.

The elder wizard has ensured her that the potion was made by an old friend of his, a trusted Potion Master in Germany who has been his acquaintance for a long time. Apparently, _Ostendere Bestia_ has once been a punishment for unruly servant during the Middle Ages, especially popular among west Europe countries.

She wasn't entirely worried about the potency of the potion, for the panther drank it only after a round of carefully sniffing and tasting. The fact that she could still sense his emotions also wasn't too surprising since it is a typical side effect of the Soul-mate bond. But the fact that she could still feel their familiar bond made her unsettled. _What could this possibly mean? One was not supposed to form familiar bond with a human!_ Not even the headmaster can explain what was going on.

A warm hand rested on her shoulder, "Don't worry, Miss Granger. I am sure Professor Snape would be alright, he was stronger than most of the people I know." Dumbledore waved a hand toward the door. "Come, Miss Granger, you should take some rest, it is quite late now. Madam Pomfrey and I will make sure nothing happen to Professor Snape."

She lightly shakes her head even though tiredness has processed her for a long time. "I can't, Headmaster. The bond is still intact. I can't leave him like this. "

The elder wizard sighed and walked out of the room, moments later he came back with a cup of hot tea. "Here, drink this."

She murmured a quiet thank you to the Headmaster and cuddled the cup in her palms, feeling the warmness slowly spread through her skin, easing her mind. But before she could get her first sip, professor Snape tossed and moaned as if in a nightmare, tiny sweats covering his forehead. She nearly dropped her cup to rush to his side, conjugating a towel and a cool water pot on her way.

With her back turned toward Dumbledore, Hermione didn't see the look on the elder wizard's face when he quietly observed her gently wiping the sweats off the professor's face.

They were both startled, however, when the sleeping wizard suddenly sat up and grabbed her wrist. In a heartbeat she was caged by his body on the bed, his hand wrapped around her throat.

The murderous look on his face should make her scare. Instead, she felt relief rolled through her. _Finally, he was awake._

"Miss Granger?" He released her with a frown and rolled off the bed, almost losing his balance doing so, obviously still weak from his recovery. Hermione tried to give him some support, but he rose a hand to stop her. Without looking at her, the professor lifted his hand to press against his temple, eyes closed, brows furrow. All in a sudden, the constant wave of emotions on her head stopped, just like someone slammed a door on their mental connection.

 _Occulenmency_. Even though she understood his reactions, she still felt hurt like someone has stabbed a dagger on her chest. She crossed her arms over her chest, stepped back from him. He gave her a strange look but soon turned to the Headmaster.

"Albus." His voice was rasped for lack of water, but he didn't seem to care. Hermione's fingers twitched, wanting to fetch some water for him, but held her ground.

"Severus. At last." The elder wizard smiled like he didn't witness the odd exchange between the two. "We started to wonder if you would ever wake up."

The younger wizard only nodded curtly toward the comment, silence stretch for couple uncomfortable seconds in the room.

"Let's get Madam Pomfrey to check you over, Severus." Dumbledore gestured toward the door. Only then did Hermione realize the strong ward setting up around the room. _Why was Madam Pomfrey not here? It was unlike her to leave a patient unattended_. She suspected the Headmaster had something to do with it, but why she could not fathom.

"As for you, Miss Granger, it is time for you to get some rest." The elder wizard looked at her through his half-moon spectacles, eyes twinkled. "I've asked the elves to prepare your bed at your dorm for you, the password is ' _mane avis_ '."

She wanted to protest, but something in the headmaster's tone told her there was no space to argue, so she nodded and started moving toward the door.

"Miss Granger." The voice of Professor Snape startled her, she turned and found he had stretched out his hand toward her. "My wand, please."

Only when she curling up on the bed, feeling lonely and missing the panther, did she realize something significant—

 _He remembered._

* * *

It was undoubtedly late, even Dumbledore looked tired, though Severus didn't care to check the time. Madam Pomfrey has declared him in good health despite being trapped in an animal form for such a long time, and now Dumbledore and he were heading toward the headmaster's office. " _You are in the best health state since I have known you, Severus. It looks like Miss Granger has done her best in taking care of you_." The matron's words were echoing in the back of his mind. He huffed, feeling annoyed. _Of course she did, a big-hearted busybody as she was._

"I trusted you remember what happened?" Dumbledore inquired once the door of the office closed behind them, not even bother to offering him a seat.

"Most of them." He nodded and sat down on the old velvet armchair when the Headmaster took occupant to the one behind the office desk, they both knew the urgency of the matter. The Dark Lord would not react well with the long-time absence of his Potion Master and spy. For worst, he would kill him at first sight; for best, he would punish him severely but spare his life. "I can't recollect much about how Miss Granger had saved me, but everything after that was not lost. Just as I remembered you fail to inform her the side effect of the Potion" His tone was almost accusing, he blamed the protective surge toward the girl to the foolish bond.

"If you were to turn into an unruly monster, Miss Granger would be the only one able to tame you. I had no worries about her safety. However, if she had any doubts about the potion, I believe you as the panther would not take the potion as willingly as you did."

Severus has no words for that, knowing they were true. "The bond…"

"Is still intact. Yes, I am aware of the fact." Dumbledore had summoned an elf to bring tea for both of them. Severus noticed the elder wizard had taken his tea black, a clear indication of his weariness. "Tell me, Severus, how's the connection between you and Miss Granger?"

He frowned, the steady wave of emotions that he tried to ignore pulled forth by the question. "Strong. I have blocked the connection at my end, but I can still feel her." He pushed two fingers to his temple, reinforcing his Occlumency wall. It seemed to get weaker by every passing minute, which never happened to him before. Not after he had perfected the art.

"Occlumency can only work temporally. Binding magic is a powerful ancient kind." Dumbledore's ice blue eyes studied him behind the half-moon glasses, his hand absently stroking his white beards. "The master may have more control over it, but…" _But the familiar would not have such power._ The unfinished sentence hung between them like a knife.

Severus twisted his lips into a sneer. _Yet another master, how typical was his life_. "I can't go to him like this." He put down his fingers, letting the wall drop. No need to water his energy since she was already asleep. "He would find out immediately." He tapped his forehead to emphasize his point. The Dark Lord would surely notice the unusual tides of foreign emotions, and all would be lost.

"I am afraid not, but the delay cannot be too long." The Headmaster looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. "This need to be dealt with before the term start."

"I had assumed it would be easier for Miss Granger to intercept the connection?" He looked to the white-heard wizard, who looked back at him with twinkled eyes.

"If she has the ability to, yes." Dumbledore relaxed back into the chair and picked up a big sugar cube for his tea. "You and Miss Granger may need to arrange a time for some extra-curricular study."

"You want me to teach her Occulmency?" He almost shot, almost, before he stood up from the chair. "We don't have time for this folly. Had you forgotten about what happened to Potter? Has your age finally caught up with you?"

"I am sure Miss Granger would a much better student than Mr. Potter, Severus." The headmaster stated firmly, unwrapping a complicated looking candy with ease and popped it into his mouth. "Besides, if I am not mistaken, Miss Granger is already half-way there."

The younger wizard frowned at this off-handed remark, but Dumbledore continued before he could interrupt. "No doubt, we will need to talk to Miss Granger once she is up tomorrow…"

The Headmaster didn't get to finish his sentence since the Potion Master all but vanished into thin air. Dumbledore blinked slowly, completely caught out of guard.

"Well, that is new." The portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black remarked lazily on his frame.

The Headmaster sighed good-naturally into the empty office.

* * *

 ** _Sorry about the long wait. My life is getting busier and busier and it seemed just hard to find time to simply relax and write something enjoyable. The good news is I have some leisure time now. Please let me know what you think about this chapter :D._**


	10. Chapter 9

**Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts**

Waking up was always a slow process for Hermione. The realization that she was awake came after she flexed her fingers and felt the soft warm furs underneath her hands, after the animalistic smell with sandalwood and herbs filled her nasal, after sensing a wet nose pressed under her chin. "Hmmmm." She stretched with a big yawn, nuzzled the silky furs. "Morning, Sebastian."

The panther purred and stretched elegantly in a typical feline manner, then jumped down the bed and disappeared behind the bed curtains.

She smiled, lazily stretching up, then froze.

 _Bed curtains?_ Her sleep-addled mind finally picked up with the events that happened last night and she gasped, almost dropped off from the bed to check on the panther.

"Sebastian? I thought…." Her sentence died on her lips when she saw the stiff back of her Potions Professor, whose hand was placed on the door handle. The scene was so bizarre that for a fleeting second she thought she was still dreaming.

"The Headmaster required our presence at his office." The deep velvet voice with an undertone coldness confirmed that she was indeed awake, thought it did not help in answering the questions that started to bubble up on her head. "You have five minutes, Miss Granger." With that, the Professor disappeared with a swirl of black robes.

Hermione blinked and shook her head, her massive curls bouncing around like wild snakes. "How am I suppose to deal with this in five minutes?"

…

 **The Headmaster Office, Hogwarts**

"Ah, Miss Granger, I hope you've had pleasant dreams?" The Headmaster greeted her with warm smiles and a handful of lemon drops when she entered the office, the latter she turned down politely.

"Good morning, Professor Dumbledore." She eyed the dark shadow standing by the bookshelf warily, recognizing the fact that their connection was cut again. Though quieter than before, like someone has turned down the radio, she could still feel the waves of emotions when she was preparing for the morning. It seemed that he would cut it whenever they were to be in the same space. "What happened last night? I woke up and Sebastian was there…"

The white-bearded wizard raised his hand to stop her and gestured her to sit down. A full breakfast appeared in front of her once she did. "I figure you would have some questions. Miss Granger. Please, eat your breakfast first. Meanwhile, I can explain to you some information we had gathered last night."

She wasn't really in the mood for foods. Her stomach was twisted into a knot from all the questions that were spinning around her head. Still, she did as she told, picked up her fork and started gingerly consuming her breakfast.

"Now, as for your most pressing question, Miss Granger. I have to inform you that last night's event was quite unexpected even for me." She heard the Potions Master shifting at his corner, but her eyes were kept on the Headmaster, waiting for what he would say next. "From what I've gathered, it is most likely a side effect of your familiar bond with Professor Snape. You see, Miss Granger. The curse Mrs. Lestrange has used on Professor Snape was a varied version of a spell commonly used for Animagus training. The original spell was meant to reveal the form of one's animagus and could last only a few minutes. It has lost favor to meditation because if not properly cast, it could cause more harms than good."

"The shifting charm." She murmured, remembered what she read about the charm, suddenly felt even less hungry than she already was. "The death or injury rate was close to twenty percent."

"That's right, Miss Granger." The headmaster nodded with a pleasing smile. She thought the Potions Master muttered something under his breath, but she couldn't make out what. "I ought to give you points for your wide range of knowledge, but even I can't do so during holidays." He winked, and she surprisingly realized that she wasn't at all upset about not earning points. Points, grades, educations, they all seemed so…small now, compared to what Professor Snape and all the other order members were fighting against.

"The curse, dark as it was, has used the same base rune but has twisted it so it forced the animal part out and dominated the body—a forced transformation." She gasped, a suspicion forming in her head. _Oh my God, was it…_ "Even though the potion has brought Professor Snape back, the panther is still there. I won't call it 'two souls in one body' because the panther is also a part of Professor Snape, it just has more…" The headmaster stopped and took a sip of his tea, seemingly finding the word the best described the situation. Hermione held her breath, breakfast long forgotten. "…awareness. Think of it as a two-headed snake-connected but also has individual conscious."

This time she was sure she heard the Professor cursed something rather colorful, she stopped herself from turning back to look at him. "I still don't understand." Her brows furrowed, she absently chewing on her lower lip. "I mean, I understand what happened to Professor Snape and Sebastian. But I don't know how all this has to do with finding Sebastian on my bed this morning."

"Ah, that, my child, is what I am going to tell you next. Be patient, Miss Granger." His eyes twinkled, and she found her patient was wearing thin by her anxiety. "You see, Miss Granger, the familiar bond you have with Professor Snape was in fact rooted on Sebastian the panther. Which means, when you called for your familiar, Sebastian would go to you instead of Professor Snape."

"But I didn't…" She protested immediately. _She didn't call for him! At least she didn't remember doing it._

"Yes, you did." Dumbledore stroked his beards, "Familiar bond works in the most peculiar way, Miss Granger. A bond as strong as yours often came with some interesting side effects, such as the 'forced guardian' issue."

She groaned and covered her face with her hands; her voice was muffled and defeated. "How can I forget…"

"I take that you know this as well?" The headmaster surely looked very impressed now, but Hermione was too busy with her own thoughts to notice, not that she would feel any proud of this situation even if she did.

"The familiar would protect the master when it sensed that the master could not do so himself." She quoted bluntly. _Oh Lord, could things get even more complicated?_ "I didn't realize sleeping is one of the conditions."

"Well it is!" She almost jumped from the chair when she heard the dangerous low growl of the Potions Master. "The panther would _not_ let me take over until you were awake!"

"Severus, my boy. Please, do calm down." The headmaster said in a low and soothing voice, but the underlying commanding tone was not to be ignored. The ruffling of impatient pacing filled the office, but no more words came out from the Professor.

A strange feeling rose inside her; she found herself stood up and walked toward Professor Snape, hands clenched into fists. Later she realized it was anger. _How could Dumbledore treated him like this? He was not a servant!_ "I think Professor Snape has the right to be frustrated, Headmaster." She stopped in front of the Professor and turned to look the headmaster straight in the eyes—the very image of a hem guarding her chick against a fox. "After all, it's all my fault that has forced Professor Snape into such an awful situation." The looked that flipped across the elder wizard's face, so brief that almost seemed like an illusion, unnerved her. It was a calculated look, like he just found something wild and dangerous and he was trying to tame it to his own use. She swallowed and turned to face the Professor, who was wearing a strange expression on his face—something between angry and surprise, before he put his indifference mask back on. She really hoped she could sense his feelings right now. Apparently, going through most of his important memories still could not help her to solve the puzzle of one Severus Snape. She took in a deep breath, opened her mouth, and was interrupted.

"Miss Granger." The voice has a quality that made her stood at attention immediately. _How could she not notice this before?_ The elder wizard could easily capture the attention of the entire hall of unruly adolescents with his voice. There was a power in it that has always been ignored under his grandfather-like aura. When she turned to look at him, the easy smile has vanished from his face. "Please, come sit down. There are more urgent matters that we need to discuss with you."

…

 **Professor Snape's Personal Quater, Hogwarts**

"Professor Snape." She spoke the moment the heavy wooden door closed behind them, knowing if she didn't act quickly the chance would not present itself. "We need to talk." She said firmly, tried to look as confident as she could muster. Although he seemed perfectly fine in pretending that nothing had happened and she was just a mere annoying student of his, there were so many things they needed to discuss. She even made a list for this last night which she had left in her bed in her haste this morning.

"I think the headmaster has made it perfectly clear that we don't have time for small talks, Miss Granger." The Potions Master replied coldly, long fingers grazing across the books on the bookshelves that had dominated most of the walls.

"'The Mind and The tricks' is on the coffee table, 'Study of Mind Magic' is on the third roll of the left shelf, and if you are looking for 'Legillenmence and Occlumency—Concepts and Practice Guideline', it is below the pile of books beside your bed." The air froze.

Professor Snape stilled his movement, his shoulder rising and dropping with his deep breathes. She stood her ground, spin straight and chin high. From all her knowledge about him, she knew he would come around with enough time. He just tended to act defeat because no one has trusted him enough for him to do otherwise. Still, her heart was pounding, not used to be the one to go against a Professor.

"Miss Granger." After what felt like years has passed, his deep voice startled her. He turned around, arms crossed on his chest.

"Yes, sir?" She answered in pure instinct, then bit the inside of her cheek with a frustrated growl. _Sir? Didn't you plan to talk to him as an equal, Hermione Granger?_

"Miss Granger, say your piece and let us be done with it." His lips pressed into a thin line, body looming over her even with the distance between them. "I don't have much patience so make it short."

…

 **The Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts**

It was near midday, the sun was high in the sky, shining like a golden pearl. Yet even the strongest beam of sunlight could not push all the way through the thick clouds of leafs and branches to reach the ground of the forbidden forest. Deep within the woods, a dark shadow was moving between the barely visible trunks, making the already dangerous forest even more deadly. Slowly and silently, the shadow approached the edge of an opening, his eyes focusing on a beautiful creature nearby a pond.

The creature was a silver fox. Its furs were shining under the sun like silk, long furry tail flipping lazily behind its slim body. Its head was bowed to the water, red tongue lapping the water rapidly. Driven by thirst, it did not notice the danger looming upon it.

A quiet shuffle from the leafs was all it got as a warning before sharp teeth sank into its neck and ended its life. The attacker stood proudly under the sun, its lean, muscular body covered by shimmering black furs. With a swift turn, the black panther disappeared back into the dim forest.

…

 **The Entrance Hall, Hogwarts**

 _Soul mates_. Severus stood before the huge wooden gate guarding the entrance of the castle, took in a long breath. _Soul mates, with Hermione Granger._

The news had suffocated him, forcing him to blast out the room, out of the castle. Before his mind registered what had happened, he had shifted into the panther. His conscious as the Potions Master got to think things through while safely hiding inside the panther's body. It was the first time he and the panther reached an agreement about which form to remain.

Another deep breath, he walked into the castle, dragon-hide boots passing the cold stone floor with catlike grace. His robe swirling around him, like a ghost of shadows.

The castle was in peaceful silence thanks to the lack of cheerful adolescents. He took in the moist Scottish air lingering in the castle walls, feeling calmness slowly spreading through his veins. The short-life peace was interrupted by a distinct voice that he knew too well.

"Ah, Severus, my dear old friend." Severus stopped died in the middle of the deserted corridor. "What a pleasant surprise."

Slowly, he turned around. In front of him, the blond-haired wizard was smirking with a glim in his eyes. His heartbeat sped up; a familiar throbbing started to form around his temples.

"Lucius." He gave him a tight-lip smile, wand in hand. "A pleasant surprise indeed."

…

 **It was a struggle for me to write this chapter. I had everything planned out in my head, but when I tried to put them into words they wouldn't follow. I hope this one wasn't too unreadable for you.**

 **Please review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**I can't believe how long has it been since my last update, can you? I feel so guilty about not writing anything for so long, but life is sort of crazy right now. I miss writing so much, and I have a couple of new ideas running through my head for God knows how long. Anyway, it feels so good to finally be able to get some writings done. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

—

 ** _Lucious' study, Malfoy Manor_**

 _"Stupidity does not suit you, Severus." The blond-haired wizard standing before him said calmly, a crystal ball dancing around his elegant fingers, splitting the sunlight into its rainbow components. Silver grey eyes considered him cooly._

 _"I don't know what you are talking about." He clapped his hands behind his back to hide his clenching fist; the wand tacked inside his sleeve silently slipped lower to his wrist. Lucious was quick when it came to the wand, but not as quick as him._

 _"Don't play coy with me, Severus." The Slytherin flipped his hand lazily as if to get rid of a fly, the ball swirling in the air then landed back to the smooth palm with a quiet puff. "Following HIM to try to save the woman is a plan below your intelligent."_

 _His fingers closed around his wand, the dark wood warming up under his skin, responding to his magic. "Now, Lucious, wherever did that ridiculous idea come from?."_

 _The older wizard seemed amused by his response; his lips twisted into a self-satisfying smile. Still playing with the crystal ball, Lucious Malfoy turned to look out at the window, no doubt enjoying the view of his well-tamed garden and beautiful white peacocks._

 _It was tempting, too tempting, to raise his wand and cast the Obliviate he so wanted to cast. But he knew better of it._

 _A defenseless-looking Malfoy is the best-guarded Malfoy. He had long learnt the lessons._

 _"I have a brother, do you know?"_

What was he playing at? _He frowned, dislike the feeling of walking in the mists._

 _"Surely you don't." Taking his silence as an answer, the other wizard talked amiably, his fingers never leaving the ball. "He is three years ahead of my age. Slytherin, of course, with a good sense of business and politics. Isn't it curious? That I am the one here, as the head of the Malfoy family, while no one even knows my brother exists?"_

A black-sheep among the family, no doubt. He thought. Not news for a pure-blood family like the Malfoy.

 _"They believe him to be a shame of our family, a Muggle-lover, a traitor to the pure-blood society." The blond wizard turned abruptly to face him, his face hidden in the shadow creating by the sunlight coming through the window. "Only a few know, that he is the head of Malfoy's Muggle affairs, in charge of our business in the Muggle world."_

 _His hairs stood on end, a thin layer of sweats moisturizing his palm. The news that the Dark Lord was going to attack Lily's son has already worn his nerves thin, adding Lucious Malfoy sharing his family secrets only made things worst._

 _"I don't suppose such information is intended for my ears, Lucious." He let go of his wand, feeling the warm wood slide back up his sleeve like a snake. The tea was in the perfect temperature and taste when he took a sip from the fine bone china teacup, his body angled away from the blond wizard's scrutiny. "Pray tell, however do I earn the honor?"_

 _"Ah, Severus." The Slytherin chuckled. "I know there are reasons why I like you." There was a brief movement with his hand, a slight twist of his wrist, and the crystal ball started smoothly floating across the room like it was in a paper airplane. It stopped when it was mere inches in front of the dark-haired wizard._

 _He eyed the ball unimpassionedly. "Sharing toys, Lucious? And here I think we've passed that age."_

 _"My friend, you always bring me such joy. Whatever should I do without you?" His lips twisted into a smile, an almost childish cheer flick across his feature. "What is in front of you, Severus, is a globe of prophecy."_

 _"Now, now, don't look at it like that. I don't intend for you to go mad. After all, this is a prophecy about you."_

 _As if to prove the blond wizard's point, the crystal ball floating before him started to radiate alluring soft golden lights. He could feel the feather-light pull for him to touch, to see, to read, like a deep-bone itch that made his fingers twitch._

 _This could be a trap. Yet Lucious would never be so foolish as to harm him within his Manor—not when the Dark Lord knew they were meeting._

 _He reached out, hand stretched beneath the globe. Soft and light as a feather, it gently landed on his waiting palm. He had expected it to be cool and hard, as a crystal ball should feel like. Yet it was warm and velvety, almost like a well-sunned cat. For a couple seconds, it just sat there, emitting gentle lights. Just when he started to suspect he was fooled, a swirl of smoke appeared inside its clear center. The smoke grew thicker and thicker until it gathered into a woman's figure._

 _The woman looked strangely familiar. Her long wavy golden hair and silver eyes reminded him of someone he knew. But who was she…_

 _His thoughts were cut short when the nearly dreamy voice caught his attention. 'Darkness raising within the Land of Hope and Glory…The name of the Malfoy will be tainted…Twice the family suffers under the palm of a Lord unworthy…The second time the damage may not be repaired…But if one finds the son of a disowned Prince, born under the watch of Saturn…Watches his path and follow…The glory of the Malfoy may yet to be saved…'_

 _The prophecy ended rather abruptly, and the young woman disappeared with a flourish turn, her light-grey dress twisted around her like shifting wings._

 _He didn't know what to say, or think, for that matter. Really, how will anyone react to hearing his own prophecy? It took him a minute or two to digest what he heard, and he may or may not reactivate the prophecy to listen to it once again. All the while, Lucious the peacock lover watched with a calmness that made him wanted to curse something rather colorful. After the third time of replaying the short message, he put down the globe and pinched the bridge of his nose._

 _"Honesty doesn't become you, Lucious."_

 _He should probably feel livid, used, and bitter even. But none of those feelings showed itself. Instead, an understanding drown on him and he felt at ease for the first time when around the head of the Malfoy. He had long since puzzled over the strangely friendly manner the other wizard shown toward him. Started around his fifth year, after his unforgivable accident with Lily, Lucious had subtly approached him, luring him into his inner circle—a hint here, a rumor there, some 'accidental' run-into, and before long he had found himself became a 'friend' of the cunning Slytherin. It was such a smooth progress, he didn't start to suspect anything until his left arm was tainted with the Dark Mark._

 _A Malfoy never gave freely. A Malfoy never made friend with those who had no worth. He was pride of his intelligent and his skills as a Potions Master as well as a wizard, yet he always sensed there was more on him that Lucious wanted._

 _Now he knew._

 _Still, more problems came forth. Why let him know? Now of all times?_

 _"Pandora Lovegood, she was such a talented Seer, blessed by her magical root. Such a pity that she left us in so young an age." Lucious, the wolf who finally shed its sheep-skin and showed its claws, interrupted his train of thoughts. "You see, Malfoys has this tradition in supporting promising Seers, and she was truly a dear. She had asked me to earn your trust after she gave this prophecy, claiming it was the best way for this to work. Really, knowing you, I would say it was a brilliant advice."_

 _He turned to glare at his 'friend'. "Is this your way to 'earn my trust'? By showing me a prophecy?"_

 _"But of course!" Lucious declared, as if it was the most obvious answer. "I've shared two of my family secrets with you, haven't I?"_

 _"What do you want, Lucious?" Suddenly feeling rather tired, he sat down on the plush armchair, brows furrow. So many years, and yet he had not perfected the art in dealing with the arrogant peacock._ Damn him.

 _"Don't sound so defeated, Severus. I am here with a proposal, one that will benefit us both." The smile on his face was one of the dangerous kind, he sat on the armchair opposite his and leaned in. "If we play our cards right, it may save that witch you so care about."_

—

Hermione woke up with a gasp. She snuggled to open her eyes, but her eyelids were still heavy as leads. Her eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings fighting against a brutal storm, too weak to even have a chance to win. Before she knew, she had been drugged into another memory-dream.

—

 ** _Headmaster's office, Hogwarts_**

 _"I have to say, old friend, you looked quite well." Lucious Malfoy remarked lazily, sipping his tea. "Who knows being cursed into a panther has such benefit?"_

 _He only glared at the blond wizard, his fingers momentarily tightened around the delicate handle of his teacup._

 _"Who knows indeed." The headmaster said conversationally before he could utter a snarl response. Sitting comfortably behind the office desk, the elder wizard skillfully unwrapped a lemon drop and popped it into the steaming hot tea. Beside him, Lucious winced. "But enough of the small talks, Lucious. Time is ticking away." Icy blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles rested upon silver grey ones, the usual twinkles nowhere to be seen._

 _"Indeed, let's get down to the business, shall we?" Lucious put down his teacup, his voice laced slightly with concern. "HE is very displeased about your disappearance, Severus."_

 _He stiffened a sigh, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "How kind of you to point that out, Lucious." As if he didn't know what was waiting for him when he came back. "When will be the next meeting?"_

 _"A week from today. The Dark Lord is planning something big."_

 _"A week. A week!" He snapped. "A week is not enough for me to…." He stopped mid-sentence when the Headmaster shot him a warning look, reminded him that Lucious had not known the full-truth of his accident. "…not enough for me to deal with the issue."_

 _"The issue?" Lucious lifted one eyebrow, gaze shifting between him and Dumbledore. "Ah, so there is more than Bella's petty curse." Noticing the slightly darkened look on the headmaster's face, the blond wizard shrugged and lifted his cup. "No need to worry, Albus. I am, after all, not a cat."_

 _"Just an inconvenient side-effect of the curse." Albus unwrapped another lemon drop, this time popped it straight into his mouth. "Unfortunately, Severus cannot go back before it is dealt with."_

 _"How long, pray tell, would you need?"_

 _"At least a month." His hand scrubbed down his face, the pounding headache was back, drumming against his scalp. It took him at least a year to perfect the art, Merlin only knew how long would it take for her to be able to block the connection? Time was running out. The longer he waited to go back to HIM, the worst HIS reaction would be. Not to mention the school would start soon. Damnation should be his middle name rather than Tobias._

 _As if sensing his dark thoughts, a warm and comforting wave gently vibrating from their connection, suppressing the throbbing pain. He could feel the panther inside him rejoiced for the affection from his mistress, yet he chose to slam it shut. This was not the place nor the time to be distracted by that blasting girl! Almost instantly, the panther started crawling and growling at him, protesting his ungratefulness._

 _His headache came back in ten-fold._

 _"…I may have a remedy for your situation." Too focus on his own thoughts, he lost track on the exchange between Albus and Lucious, only in time to catch the words coming from the elder Slytherin. "You see, I happened to pick this up on that chaotic night in the DoM."_

 _Laying in the hand of Lucious Malfoy, a familiar looking device shining under the sunlight._

—

 ** _One of the guest quarters, Hogwarts_**

"I can't! Professor! I don't know what is wrong but I can't get the feeling right!" Hermione shouted in frustration, feeling tears welling up her eyes. _Why couldn't she get it?! It was not supposed to be this hard!_ Hell, he took only three days to get into the correct mind frame, why couldn't she do it?

It has been two weeks since they got the time turner from Lucious Malfoy—one that was a little different from what she used in her third year. First of all, it could turn the time back up to one week; Second of all, the container inside was a mercury-like liquid rather than sands; Third of all, and the most important one, it was broken. The liquid was slowly and randomly evaporating; once it was out, the time turner would be out of function like a battery-less remote. She highly suspected this was the reason why Lucious was so generous in giving to them—why not earn a favor when he probably wouldn't have the chance to use it before it lost its energy? So far, there was still around 80% of the liquid left, but no one knew when it would run out.

The uncertainty and stress were driving her out of her mind, to the point that Professor Snape had to force her to drink Dreamless Potion every night for her to take a good rest. Not to mention for the sake of avoiding running into their past selfs, they were to be confined in one quarter for the whole damn week, and have to plan their time and routine carefully when moving to another quarter for the next week.

Living in the same quarter with Professor Snape, learning Occlumency, for weeks! Soul mates or not soul mates, by now they were both so wound up that a minor wrongness in the way the wind blow could make them explode.

And explode she did, thought the wind had no fault in this.

"For Merlin's sake. Calm down, Granger!" Her companion was in no better state than her, being unable to come up with a solution other than kept her practicing her meditation. "You need to clear your mind…."

"To feel the magic and the flow of my brain. I know. I KNOW!" She was openly sobbing now; her words came out muffled. She hated herself for being such a failure, for being so weak. Crying in front of _him_ because she could not get a meditation right. No doubt her emotions were now wracking his brain now. Good job, Hermione, next you would find yourself crying on the battlefield like a baby.

"Merlin help me." She heard the professor grunted, then a white handkerchief was thrust into her hands. "Get yourself together, Granger."

She took the handkerchief ungracefully, blowing into it with anger. "I am trying. I really am."

Instead of a snarky response, she heard low muttering coming from the Professor. Curious got the better of her, she wiped her eyes and turned to look at him, barely catching what he was saying.

"No….that won't help….you should…." He was pacing in front of the window, seemingly arguing with someone. _Sebastian, maybe?_ "I say NO…." He cast a quick glance her way, brow furrow deepened. "Merlin saves me…Fine, have it your way." He waved his hand in one frustrate movement, and before Hermione could catch up with what was happening, the wizard turned into the panther.

What the Professor held back, the panther gave freely. Immediately, She was bathed in trust and affection and an armful of the giant cat. Sebastian nudged her chin with his head, then dutifully cleaning her tears with his tongue.

"Ow, Sebastian, stop." She giggled, all the frustration and worries pushed aside in favor of reunion with her familiar. She rarely saw him these days—with all her waking hours focus on Occlumency and all that. "I miss you so much." She hugged Sebastian tightly, buried her face in his warm furs, inhaling the soothing scents of herbs and musk.

The panther purred, his tail flicking slowly behind him. She could feel that he was unhappy about the ways the Professor treated her, but she understood why Professor Snape behaved that way, at least part of it. Though they acted so differently toward her, the two of them were still the same; it was just that the Professor was too used to suppress his feelings and had almost no practice in showing kindness. Not to mention all his other duties were crushing down on him when he learnt about the bond between them—one more Master, one more responsibility, one more secret. It was a hard rotten stone cake for him to eat. But he was not heartless, that she knew, the very fact that Sebastian was now here was the proof of it.

"Thank you." She nuzzled his neck, feeling his rhythmic breathing and the steady beating of his heart.

The panther, sensing her mood had shifted, moved back from her hug and bumped her legs, his body lowered down to the floor. Instinctively, she straddled the panther, resting herself securely on top of his back. "No matter where you are taking me, just make sure you won't bump into one of our past self, okay?" She said jokingly. The panther huffed and took off.

Or rather, apparated off.

Hermione opened her eyes when the pressing sense of apparition wore off and squeaked.

They were floating above the Quidditch pitch! Winds were blowing her hairs around, the sun shining warmly on her back, and she felt the mischief radiating from the panther below her.

"Sebastian, you scare me!" She complained half-heartedly, playfully swatted his neck. _She didn't know he could fly!_ Though came to think of it, of course it could fly, just as the Professor could fly without a broom.

She looked around, feeling excited and refreshing. She hadn't got a chance to stepped outside and enjoyed the sun for so long that she almost forgot how it felt to have the blaze caressing her face. She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sun. She never felt so safe and relaxed when flying, always afraid that her broom would fail her. It was such a novel feeling, to fly without fear. She couldn't stop the smile slowly spreading across her face even if she wanted to.

The muscles beneath her fingers flexed, and she felt a small tap on her lower back that was from Sebastian's tail. She opened her eyes and met his gaze, and the panther took off and raced toward the sky.

She clenched his furs tightly, feeling her heartbeats sped up into rapid drumming, adrenaline rushing through her blood.

She laughed, gave herself up to the chase. Their emotions flowed freely between them, two as one, she could even feel the Professor joining into the excitement, lured by the rare chance to release the pile-up tension.

Hours later, when Sebastian delivered her back to their quarters, a fresh idea has formed inside her mind.

"Professor Snape, I would like to learn Legillimency."

—

 **Now, what do you think about this one? Is it a surprise to learn that Lucious was playing both sides as well? I must admit I rather like the blond Slytherin and couldn't believe he did not have a backup plan in all this, so here is my play. Please please please R &R, I so love to read all your reviews!**


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